The 14U Parkland Vipers club volleyball team was in Winnipeg and Niverville for provincials this past weekend, where they finished 16th out of 38 teams.

The Vipers opened with a three-set victory over BVC, then forced a third set against Westman before losing 11-15 in the third set.

In the last round-robin game, the Vipers forced a third game against Bandits Madi, which they won, 15-11.

This put the Vipers in second place in their pool, setting up a match with Impact Black to open the playoffs, winning in three sets with a 15-11 final in the third set.

Parkland then played Bisons Gold in an exciting match with the winner advancing to the quarterfinals. The Vipers battled back from a seven-point deficit to tie the game 24-24, fighting off three set points, before eventually losing 24-26.

The Vipers played well in the second set, with outstanding defence, but ultimately fell to the Bisons Gold.

On Sunday, the Vipers played some good volleyball, but lost all three matches against the Blazers, Pilots Navy and Agoojin.

Vipers coach Taylor Schmidt said, overall, it was a successful tournament with the Vipers playing some of their best volleyball of the season.

“The players really worked hard throughout the whole tournament. We had some tough competition in our pool and we were going to three sets quite often and the girls were able to pull out some wins and to give ourselves a chance. That was our goal after round-robin play, was to give ourselves a chance to be in the finals, which we did,” he said.

With Bisons Gold going on to win the provincials title, Schmidt was proud of how well the Vipers played against the Winnipeg squad.

“We made them really work and I was really proud on how the girls handled themselves and how hard they worked throughout the whole tournament. They never gave up,” he said.

Schmidt has noticed not just the Vipers, but every team at that age group has improved since the start of the season and it showed at provincials.

“The level of volleyball that was happening from all the teams from the beginning of our club season until now is just really impressive. And just in general, the level of volleyball at the 14U level just has been so impressive,” he said.

“And throughout the tournament, the competition kept on improving on both sides of the net, meaning both teams were continuing to adapt and change and make adjustments throughout the game in order to compete and win.”

The Vipers were a part of that improved level of volleyball, being engaged and invested in their play.

“And they did whatever they needed to do to win the set or even compete. It was really impressive,” Schmidt said.

The future bodes well for the Vipers club program, as well as for the players’ high school programs, as well, as they will take their experience at the club level to their respective high schools teams.

“I can only speak for my team, but they are definitely putting themselves on the map as a club to compete and be amongst the top clubs in the province. The sheer size of the athletes that we pull from the fact that we’re right there competing with the larger clubs like the Bisons and WinMan and Big Sand. It’s a real complement to the players in this region and the club itself,” Schmidt said.

The season is not over yet as the Vipers will compete at nationals, May 8 to 10, in Edmonton.